Nigerian government still open to dialogue with Boko Haram – Jonathan

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President Goodluck Jonathan has said that the Federal Government is still open to constructive dialogue with the Boko Haram sect to end insurgency in the North East zone of the country.

The president stated this in Abuja on Monday when he declared open an International seminar on the Observance of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law in Internal Security Operations.

The seminar, held at the National Defence College, was co-hosted by the Offices of the Attorney-General of the Federation (A-GF) and the National Security Adviser (NSA).

Mr. Jonathan called on members of the sect to lay down their arms and table their grievances, if any, before government.

He, however, clarified that while waiting for the response from the sect, the military operations in the troubled areas would continue to safeguard lives and property.

“Our administration has committed tremendous resources and adopted several approaches to prosecuting the fight against terror in Nigeria.

“The declaration of a state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states is one of the measures taken to contain the activities of the terrorists.

“The National Committee on Peace and Dialogue in the Northern parts of the country was constituted to explore ways of dialoguing with the Boko Haram sect with a view to addressing their grievances, if any.

“I wish to use this platform to renew my previous call to members of the sect to lay down their arms and engage government in a constructive manner in order to address their grievances, if truly they have any reason to do what they are doing.

“However, while we are awaiting a positive response from the Boko Haram sect, it is important to note that government has the responsibility to protect the lives and property of our citizens.

“No efforts will be spared by this administration in discharging that responsibility.’’

The president commended the organisers of the seminar, which had the theme “Engendering Greater Understanding of the Legal Underpinning of Internal Security Operations’’.

He said the seminar, meant to ensure that the efforts to tackle the security challenges in the country were carried out within the confine of the laws, “is apt, most critical and relevant.

“This seminar comes at the most appropriate time given the degree of security threat facing our country and it is imperative for us to effectively address the threat within lawful and acceptable international norms,’’ he said.

Mr. Jonathan said that because of the ”brutal” manner the Book Haram carried out its attacks, it was impossible to rule out infractions by the military.

He said government had been guided by a commitment that any allegation of human rights abuses and non-adherent to applicable rules of engagement by the military were appropriately addressed.

Mr. Jonathan said he had directed the Chief of Defence Staff and the Service Chiefs to ensure that relevant human rights and international humanitarian norms were emphasised in the training of members of the armed forces.

He admonished individual members of the armed forces to act within a high sense of responsibility and avoid any criminality in the discharge of their duties.

“We are faced with the challenge of dealing with a group that does not feel oblige to observe the basic tenets of human rights and humanitarian precepts in their modus operandi.

“The group so brutal and so remote from modern civilization, killing innocent people at will.

“To effectively address these challenges, government have had to frequently deploy the military and other security service in maintaining law and order and restoring normalcy.

“However, such interventions sometimes evoke concern on account of perceived collateral damage that may be associated with intense military operations.

“As the Commander-In-Chief, I am particularly concern about the manner in which the men and women of the armed forces discharge their responsibilities in spite of the daunting pressure.

“I will like to reaffirm our commitment to ensure that the military at all time adhere to the rules of engagements.’’

In his welcome address, the National Security Adviser, retired Col. Sambo Dasuki, said the Nigerian Armed Forces were engaged in internal operations in 32 states.

He said the seminar was designed to sensitise participants to the imperative of observing human rights abuses in the course of operations.

Mr. Dasuki commended the President for the various initiatives and the deployment of adequate resources to address internal security challenges.

The seminar was attended by the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensaoda, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Mukhtar and the Supervisory Ministers of Defence and Police Affairs, Labaran Maku and Olajumoke Akinjide, respectively.

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